Exposure to particulate matter before and after birth linked to heightened allergic rhinitis risk

 

BMJ :Exposure to the air pollutant fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) before and after birth is linked to a heightened risk of childhood allergic rhinitis, finds research published online in the journal Thorax.

Parental touch may reduce social anxiety in children

Amsterdam: Parental touch reduces children’s attention to social threat and increases trust, particularly in socially anxious children. As a result, parental touch may reduce children’s social anxiety. These are the conclusions drawn by Eddie Brummelman from University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Peter Bos from Utrecht University (UU) and their colleagues from their research during NEMO Science Live. Their findings have been published as open access in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.

Brain matures faster due to childhood stress

Radboud: Stress in early childhood leads to faster maturation of certain brain regions during adolescence. In contrast, stress experienced later in life leads to slower maturation of the adolescent brain. This is the outcome of a long-term study conducted by researchers of Radboud University in which 37 subjects have been monitored for almost 20 years. The findings will be published in Scientific Reports on 15 June.

Victims of childhood bullying more likely to be overweight as young adults

London: Children who are bullied in primary and secondary school are nearly twice as likely to be overweight at the age of 18 than non-bullied children, according to a new study by researchers from King’s College London. Previous research by the team at King’s has shown that children who experienced bullying while growing up in the 1960s were more likely to be obese at the age of 45, yet it was unclear whether these long-term effects were present earlier in life.

Skipping breakfast and not enough sleep can make children overweight

London: Mothers smoking in pregnancy, children skipping breakfast and not having a regular bedtime or sufficient sleep all appear to be important factors in predicting whether a child will become overweight or obese, according to new research led by UCL. All three are early life factors which can be modified and the research highlights the possibility that prompt intervention could have an impact in curbing the growth in childhood overweight and obesity.